Page 128 - Cultural Studies A Practical Introduction

112 Music

the false idea that non - Western or rural music emanates from exotic civi-

lizations “ untainted ” by modern Western influence. As a result, world
music is often regarded as unsophisticated and obscure, and thought to be
decipherable only to savvy connoisseurs. However, much contemporary
non - Western music is a dynamic mix of local and international styles, and
is neither strictly beholden to a romanticized, more “ authentic ” past, nor
a diluted imitation of popular American genres. It represents a reality in
which, for better or worse, no region on earth is immune to the effects of
globalization and modernity. The dichotomy between world music and
Western popular music perpetuated by marketing categories is actually a
simplifi cation of a much more complicated and interesting story.
Let ’ s take for illustration the case of Palestinian hip hop. The Palestine

territories, fiercely disputed lands which lie within the region captured by
Israel in 1967, are to a large degree ruled by Hamas, the Islamic Resistance
Movement, which advocates the destruction of the State of Israel and the
establishment of a Palestinian Islamic state in its wake. In strict accord with
Islamic fundamentalist principles, Hamas considers secular music to be
a potentially blasphemous practice and therefore haram ( “ forbidden ” ).
It especially disapproves of music that is accompanied by suggestive move-
ment, that encourages the mixing of men and women, or that seeks to arouse
the sexual drives. Public performances of such music are often met with

angry mobs of Hamas supporters firing machine guns and hurling stones.
This may not seem like a context from which hip hop could fl ourish, and
yet, there are a number of Palestinian musicians who adopt the oppositional
attitude and heavy beats of American hip hop to express resistance to Israeli
occupation, Hamas oppression, and Western imperialism.
The first and perhaps most prominent Palestinian rappers, DAM (Da

Arabian MCs), combine the Arabic language, Middle Eastern melodies,
and urban American hip hop to create a compelling hybrid sound. They
acknowledge their indebtedness to American rap while also staking a claim
to a unique and independent space within their own culture in witty and
provocative rhymes, such as this verse from “ Hibuna Istruna ” ( “ Love Us
and Buy Us ” ):

Who was your influence? ’ – I ’ ll tell you who
I ’ m like Sinbad, I ’ ll reach every land
With my fl ying carpet the mic, I ’ ll open every secret door
“ How do you know the password? ” well, I grew up an Ali Baba
And using foreign tradition I ’ m bringing us back to our tradition.